Smuggler detained at the border with Uzbekistan

The law enforcement agencies of Uzbekistan have disrupted an attempt to smuggle a large sum of money into Tajikistan.

According to Uzbek media, in the Bekabad district of Uzbekistan, officers from the State Security Service and customs authorities of the Tashkent region thwarted an attempt to illegally export currency through the “Farhod” checkpoint on the Tajik-Uzbek border.

According to the investigation, a resident of Bekabad born in 1991 planned to bring 18.6 million Russian rubles, 140.7 thousand Tajik somoni, and 180 million sums into Tajikistan. Converted to dollars, this amounts to approximately 264,395 dollars.

To conceal the smuggling, he divided the money into several parts and handed them over to 34 couriers, promising them a reward. All of them were detained at the “Farhod” checkpoint.

It was reported that during the inspection of a Chevrolet Tracker belonging to the organizer, 13.5 million rubles, 24 thousand somoni, 885 euros, 300 dollars, 300 yuan, 6,840 Kyrgyz som, and over 10 million sums were found, totaling about 175 thousand dollars.

The money was bundled in separate packages for further transportation to Tajikistan.

The total value of the seized currency amounted to over 5.2 billion sums, or 429.5 thousand dollars.

A criminal case has been initiated against the resident of Bekabad under Article 182, Part 2, Clause “a” of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan — large-scale smuggling. The court has chosen a preventive measure in the form of arrest.

The investigation is ongoing, and the owners of the seized money are being identified.